


For The Mission, Yeah?

by cellwright



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira’s majorly fucked, Boys Kissing, Confessions, Crossdressing, Dancing, M/M, Makoto is a mom, No Spoilers, Parties, Ryuji pulls it off too well, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22731259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellwright/pseuds/cellwright
Summary: Akira and Ryuji have to pass as a couple at an extravagant party to extract information from a businessman attending, but who would have to dress as the girl?
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 17
Kudos: 237





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> as a preface, no characters are being portrayed as transgender because of cross dressing in this fic!
> 
> i hope you enjoy <3

“WHAT?!” Ryuji shrieked, blowing out the eardrums of the Phantom Thieves. “We have to be a _couple_?” 

“ _Yes,_ no arguing.” 

They were all settled around the attic of LeBlanc, discussing Mementos missions and whatever business they had to conduct. Right now, they were finalizing the details of one of their biggest (non-palace related) missions yet, and the stakes were raised. 

“Why can’t Ann or Futaba do it?” Ryuji huffed, crossing his arms in challenge of Makoto’s announcements of the roles of the mission. 

“I just _told_ you, Ryuji, were you not listening before?” Makoto said, exasperated, “Futaba and I are manning the mics and controls, and Yusuke and Ann are so hopeless at acting that they broke our cover _both_ times we tried to put them in a part!”

“Hey!” Ann called out from where she was sitting in Akira’s room. She wanted to protest more, until she remembered that Makoto was _absolutely right._

“What about Haru? And besides, Yusuke wasn’t _that_ bad!” Ryuji attempted to counter. 

“Thank you, Ryuji, but I have to disagree with that myself,” Yusuke took care in replying nonchalantly. 

“He lost his mind when some rich guy got mixed up with Monet and Van Gogh. Haru already said she doesn’t feel too comfortable with doing this part too, so we’re not going to push her to do it. That leaves you and Akira to do the job.”

“Morgana…?” Ryuji tried, but to no avail. Makoto gave him a pointed look and Futaba snickered behind her hand. 

“Fine, fine,” Ryuji surrendered and put his hands in the air. “Why a _couple_ though? Can’t we just go as two business guys?”

Makoto sighed, “I really wish we could, but from previous missions it shows that whenever we do couples we get what we need quicker. Even with Yusuke’s outburst and Ann’s acting, we got data and were able to leave before too many problems were started.”

“Tch, whatever then…” Ryuji finally gave up with his protesting and relaxed into the couch.

“Hey.” Akira nudged Ryuji with his elbow and flashed the blonde a dazzling smile. Ryuji thought he could faint. “At least we can hang out for the night, right?” 

Ryuji couldn’t help but give a small smile right back. It was Akira, after all.

“Now, for who it should be dressing up as the woman…” Makoto began, and Ryuji groaned. 

__________

In the end, it was decided that Ryuji would have to be the girl. 

“Akira has such an overwhelming aura of masculinity that I don’t know if he could pass in a dress, even if he looks like a stick,” Futaba contributed at one part of the argument. She sounded like she was joking, but Akira’s broad shoulders would be an instant giveaway. It wasn’t _Ryuji’s_ fault that he was built as neutrally as possible, (despite his constant slouch). 

“I must agree with that,” Yusuke said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. 

“Ditto,” Ann laughed. 

Plus, to everyone’s surprise, Ryuji was an impressive actor when it counted. After a couple of missions, he managed to settle into roles easily with some practice. He seemed to be good at talking to people after learning to control his emotions. 

The mission was taking place in a few days, but the Phantom Thieves had meetings everyday after school to finalize everyone’s roles and what the plan was. Ryuji and Akira had to act as a couple to strike up the interest of a businessman and his girlfriend. The man, Bijine Kasai, didn’t have desires distorted enough to have a palace, but he caused quite a predicament in Mementos. To defeat Bijine’s shadow, they needed to crack some sort of numbered code to get past a barrier that was in between them and Bijine. 

They had to travel a little further than the confines of Shibuya, but it would be an entirely different scene they would have to blend in to. They had to go to a party thrown by one of the wealthiest women in the city, in her too large mansion, and be surrounded by other rich snobs that were probably looking to get drunk for a night. 

The evening of the event, Ryuji and Akira changed into their disguises. Luckily, since it was a Saturday night, Sojiro closed the cafe early and was already home. Most of the Phantom Thieves all waited down in the actual cafe area while Ann and Haru aided Ryuji in getting ready in the attic. Akira was ready, already dressed in a sharp black suit and had light makeup on his face that contoured it enough for him to pass as a 20-something year old. His glasses were gone and colored contacts vaguely burned the surface of his eyes instead. 

“And here he comes, drum roll please!” Ann comically announced at the foot of the stairs where she and Haru spread their arms out to show off their work. 

“Shut up, it ain’t that special!” Ryuji huffed when he begrudgingly walked down the stairs. The heels he was wearing weren’t too tall but somehow he wasn’t tumbling all over the place (albeit he did stumble one of two times when he first tried them on a couple of days ago), so it was an achievement in Ryuji’s book. 

He walked into the cafe floor to be greeted by everyone else. Futaba wolf whistled and Makoto nodded approvingly. 

Just as planned, Ryuji’s disguise was absolutely convincing. Ann and Haru packed enough makeup on his face for it to mimic a natural feminine look with red lipstick and peach eyeshadow, and they were able to slightly contour his body to soften his collarbones and shoulders. He had to put on a shoulder length blonde wig since his hair was too spiky to control too, which was probably one of his least favorite things. Ryuji’s already-lanky frame and skinny shoulders fit perfectly in a loose black silk slip dress, which almost reached the floor but sported a high slit that ran up his leg and ended mid thigh. 

“I still hate this slit,” Ryuji mumbled, “Q-Quit staring!” 

He was as red as the lipstick on his face now and was quite aware of the fact that there were more than a few gazes on his exposed leg. He even had to shave it so that it looked more “ladylike”, along with any other inch of his body that had exposed hair. 

“It won’t be believable if you have a big ol’ patch of hair on your leg,” Ann had argued before ripping off a painful wax strip that was attached to Ryuji’s calf the evening before at her house. Since her house was empty, he unashamedly shrieked with every strip that Ann ripped off. 

Now Ryuji looked insecure with his arm rubbing the back of his neck, but Akira’s breath was taken away. Yeah, he had a thing for Ryuji, but Ryuji in a high-slit dress? His mouth was probably watering at the sight. 

“Oh, and don’t forget this!” Ann cheered before giving Ryuji a small black clutch purse to carry around with him. The blonde snatched it from Ann and crossed his arms embarrassingly. 

“I still don’t get why I have to do this…” Ryuji groaned. Makoto sighed and rubbed her temple. 

“Just remember to stand up straight, and cross your legs when you’re sitting, okay?” was all Makoto said, “Now, we’ll go over for the mission one last time before you guys have to go.”

Ryuji groaned again and sat down. They’ve probably gone over everything a million times by now and Ryuji knew every part of it by heart, but he sat down and slid into the booth that had all the information they needed on the table. 

“So, first, Akira and Ryuji will get in about 10 minutes after the party starts. Your names are now…” Makoto went on, but Ryuji already stopped listening and was drumming his fingers against the table already. 

He felt a nudge in his side and looked over to see Akira, who probably knew that he wasn’t paying attention and smirked. He brought his arm back and poked the small of Ryuji's back so that the blond would sit up straighter, and then brought his shoulders back so that Ryuji would do the same. The blond held back a chuckle but complied anyway, guessing it was because he had to look more ladylike. 

“Akira, Ryuji, are you two listening?” 

“Yes,” Akira quickly said. “We bump into them and I compliment Bijine’s suit.” 

Makoto narrowed her eyes but nodded, continuing with the next steps. Ryuji nodded to Akira as a thank you for saving him, but continued to pretend to listen until it was time to go. 

—

Yusuke and Ann were in a car ready for them several blocks away from the property. They were set up with mics and could hear everything that Makoto and Futaba we’re hearing from their base, just without the controls. They were ready if anything were to happen. 

Akira and Ryuji arrived at the party on time, 10 minutes after it had begun just as planned. They were standing on the stairs that lead up to the comically large mansion hesitantly, Ryuji’s hand securely wrapped around Akira’s arm. 

Ryuji pulled off looking like a woman dangerously well, Akira thought. It took Ann multiple Youtube videos and trials and errors, but she was able to attach Ryuji’s wig on seamlessly, as well as have perfected his makeup. God, how he could work it so well, Akira didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to complain. 

They were standing next to the railing, where there were a couple of other people milling around the stairs, most likely waiting for someone. Akira leaned against it and sighed. 

“You alright?” Ryuji said under his breath, not having yet started to use a higher voice to speak. However, he delicately placed a hand on Akira’s shoulder, bringing them a little closer. (It was partly for theatrics, but he most definitely would have done so regardless of if anyone was around, though). 

“How are you doing this so easily?” Akira whispered. He thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest with how gorgeous Ryuji looked, especially with him having to be on top of his “husband” the entire night. All in that pretty, pretty dress. 

“I’m a pretty good actor, huh?” 

And Ryuji was, but he didn’t need to act to pretend like he was in love with Akira. Aliases or not, sometimes he thought he would die from a seizure looking at Akira’s smile or his eyes or… you get it. 

“Yeah. Actor,” Akira mumbled. It hurt, knowing that all of it, at the moment, was just supposed to be an act. Best friends weren’t supposed to be in love with each other. 

Ryuji sensed he said something wrong, but Makoto was in their ear pieces yelling at them to go inside, _damnit_. 

Akira quickly straightened and let Ryuji take his arm, brief conversation seemingly forgotten. He figured that if he had one night to pretend Ryuji was his, he’d take advantage of it. 

Upon entering, it was evident that the party was already underway. Akira couldn’t remember the exact reason for celebration, but he knew that the host was a wealthy woman who loved to show off her massive size of a home (who wouldn’t?). 

There was a large open area at the entrance, gorgeous circular mosaic taking up the floor that would lead them to two winding staircases leading up to the second floor, but the party was taking place through the very large door in between the staircases. 

Makoto piped up in both of their ear pieces. “You ready, guys? From now on, alias names. Jesus, Akira, your heart rate is spiking, are you alright?” 

Damn Makoto and her brilliant idea of attaching heart monitors to the boxes they used for their ear pieces. It was genius, actually, being able to track their nerves along with sound and whatever surveillance footage Futaba could hack into, but the only reason Akira’s heart rate rose was because Ryuji squeezed his arm. 

“Doing great, Makoto,” Akira easily replied instead. Ryuji squeezes his arm again in comfort and Akira heard Makoto about to say something again, but she didn’t. 

Maybe she knew. 

They finally walked in. The room where the actual party was taking place was huge. There was a large rectangular dance floor in the center with plenty of people already grooving to the semi-loud music playing. The ceiling was high with a few impressive chandeliers glimmering in the dimmed lights of the entire room. 

Tables lined the sides of the dance floors, but they were barely occupied. Akira figured it was less of a party about eating, but rather more about drinking and dancing and using the tables as a rest stop. 

At the back of the room there was a DJ, but more importantly, a winding bar that took up whatever space the DJ booth didn’t. All of the stools were already taken up by a mass of elegant looking people. 

“She must really like her drinks, huh?” Ryuji muttered. They were both in awe of the place, no matter how much they researched the inside beforehand. 

“Okay, guys. You remember the plan. Bijine hasn’t arrived yet, so figure out the layout of the first floor and then dance a little to throw off potential suspicion. Ann and Yusuke are working on tracking his location right now,” Makoto told them. It was hard for Ryuji not to nod affirmatively in response. 

Akira lead Ryuji around the dance floor to an archway that lead into a long hallway. The labeled bathroom doors made the house feel more like a rented party room, but they figured that no one was using the practically-ballroom for living. 

The entire time, Ryuji and Akira easily chatted. They had to use code names, but no one was paying too much attention to them at all, what with being an average young, privileged couple at a party. Ryuji walked easily next to Akira, his voice a higher pitch and hand gripped tightly on Akira’s arm as if it were nothing. 

They scoped out both hallways on either sides of the room and Bijine still wasn’t there. 

“I read that Bijina had a habit to be late sometimes, but not _this_ late,” Makoto groaned in their ear pieces. “Go dance and we’ll tell you when he decides to come.”

Akira brought Ryuji over to the heart of the dance floor, letting himself relax and dance as anyone would, but hoping he wouldn’t get too disheveled when he actually has to speak to Bijine. 

Ryuji had to be extra careful with his heels and his wig, but even with his bad leg he was one hell of a dancer. Especially with the illusion of being a girl, he let his hips swing a little more loosely and his hair bounce around a little more. 

In the middle of a spin, Akira pulled Ryuji close from behind. They continued to move to the beat of the music, but he whispered in Ryuji’s ear, “You’re a little too convincing as a girl. Have anything to tell me?”

Ryuji laughed and spun around to face Akira, throwing his arms around his neck and moved closer. “Just doing my job.”

“You’re a tease,” Akira responded, placing his hands on Ryuji’s hips and continuing to dance. 

“Ryuji, do you hear me?” Makoto suddenly cut in through the ear piece. As loud as it was on the dance floor with the bustling group of people, Akira still heard her. 

Ryuji was unresponsive and Makoto continued. “Akira, you look like you’re gonna drool over Ryuji; you _have_ been ever since he got into character. I don’t care whatever feelings you guys have to sort out in between each other because there’s _obviously_ something going on, but I didn't think it would be this much of an issue when we were planning this out.”

Akira spun Ryuji around so he wouldn’t see him talking. “What feelings? Plus, there’s no issue, we’re just dancing.” 

“You guys are flirting so believably it’s scary. Either way, I can’t have you too busy caught up in all of this when we need to focus on the plan right now. I’m just telling you now before it might be too late.”

“Why _me_?” Akira resorted to asking instead. 

“Ryuji’s way too good in his role as it is.”

And that’s all Makoto left Akira to think about. 

“Was that Makoto?” Ryuji muttered in Akira’s ear after another spin. Akira nodded but didn’t say anything else. 

They probably danced for another 15 minutes, but it could have been hours and Akira wouldn’t have cared. Ryuji seemed to be relaxed as ever, fortunately. 

“He’s arrived,” Futaba simply stated through their ear pieces after a particularly upbeat dance ended. 

“ _Finally,_ ” Makoto mumbled. 

Akira and Ryuji were quick to pretend like they were getting off the dance floor for drinks. Akira lead Ryuji through the bustling dancers with a tight grip on his hand, careful to make sure that no one would come in between them. 

Futaba was running through the present security footage to pinpoint Bijine’s exact location. The two made it to a table where they’d previously left two cups of water and pretended to make small talk while waiting for their cue. 

“To Ryuji’s left, walking towards the bar near the high vase,” Futaba finally stated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoy!

It took an hour, but Akira was finally, _finally_ , engaged in conversation with Bijine. It took conversation starters A, B, C, and D to have Bijine interested in Akira’s insistence to talk to him. 

They were at a standing table near the bar, finally in a good spot of conversation for information. Bijine was boasting to Akira about all the different numbers in his assets and his best employees, and Akira was listening intently (for the wrong reasons). 

Ryuji was quietly speaking to Bijine’s…wife? Girlfriend? Most-recent-affair? Hours of Makoto's meticulous research couldn’t even figure out his overly-complicated romantic life. 

“And you’re Bijine’s…” Ryuji had started when Akira and Bijine had begun their own conversation. 

“Girlfriend,” the woman stated, but it couldn’t help but be noticed that she sighed a little when she answered. 

Ryuji talked the best he could about whatever information Ann had fed him— drama amongst celebrities, new makeup collection releases, even a little about a magazine that Ryuji had picked up when Ann was styling his wig. 

Bijine’s girlfriend looked happy to have someone to talk to about things she seemed to know so much about. Ryuji almost felt bad for talking to her under the disguise of someone that cared, but he hoped that eradicating Bijine’s place in Mementos would allow her to find a better future for herself. 

Meanwhile, Makoto was recording every single word that came through Bijine’s mouth through Akira’s earpiece. She knew how cocky Bijine was, how any password about himself would be about his profits, his girlfriends,  _ anything  _ he would boast about. 

Unfortunately, Bijine’s eye was straying towards Ryuji as the conversation stretched. Akira sensed that he only needed a little more from Bijine and they’d have all the information they needed, but he felt himself grow a little angry at the mischievous glint in the businessman’s eye. 

“I need to use the restroom but, ah, you’re his—“ Bijine started in his low, smooth voice, jabbing a thumb in Akira’s direction as he set his focus at Ryuji, “Wife?” 

Ryuji politely nodded, but he could tell by the tone of his voice that the businessman had something brewing in his mind. 

“How about you accompany me to the hallway? I want to hear a little more about you.”

Ryuji reluctantly smiled. “Okay,” he stated simply, but he couldn’t figure out how he would have denied the man if it crossed his mind. He knew that Futaba was heavily tracking their every move through whatever cameras she could find and trackers they’d places under their clothes, that Ann and Yusuke were waiting in a car if they needed to make a getaway, and the rest of the team could hear their every word, but he still felt uneasy.

Bijine grabbed his wrist a little aggressively out of sight of Akira, who had a weird feeling about their departure. He nodded at Ryuji with furrowed eyebrows, and Ryuji feebly smiled back. 

Akira turned his attention to Bijine’s girlfriend, who sighed but looked a little more relaxed without the businessman there. 

“He always does this,” she mumbled. “Finds someone he likes, talks them up a little, and tries to buy them a drink.”

Akira thought about his response carefully. His heartbeat noticeably sped up when he knew that Ryuji would have to deal with Bijine for the time being, but he wanted to get information from the man's girlfriend while he could. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t seem very… happy. With Bijine. Why are you still..?”

Akira didn’t finish the question, but she knew what he meant. “It sounds so shallow when I say it.”

“You don’t have to, but you can tell me. I don’t exactly have anyone to tell,” Akira said as nonchalantly as he could. 

She gave Akira a weak smile. “My… My family got into quite a bit of a situation a couple of months ago. My father left my mother all alone with one of my sisters who’s in college right now, no money or anything. Bijine likes to be… generous, with his girlfriends.” 

Akira understood, if he was being honest. He knew what it was like being left with nothing, but at least his parents left him a little bit of money before they shipped him off to Tokyo, no matter how minuscule it was. 

“I can only imagine how you feel, but I don’t blame you. It’s tough out there, nowadays at least.”

She weakly smiled and took another sip of her drink. “The only problem is that I have to deal with him, his bragging, the works. Did you know he’s fired exactly 1,038 employees while in charge at the company? He won’t be quiet about all these numbers and useless tidbits and I’ve made a game out of memorizing it all at this point.”

Akira laughed and nodded until it hit him. _The code._

The code  _ had  _ to be 1038. Akira had talked to Bijine for less than an hour and knew that he was arrogant and narcissistic enough to make that his own personal code. 

Plus, it was the only set of numbers he got from Bijine with 4 digits, which was exactly what he needed. 

Akira took a sip of the sparkling water in front of him. Makoto seemed to have caught on too. 

“That’s it! That has to be it,” she happily exclaimed in his earpiece. 

“Y’know,” Bijine’s girlfriend sighed again, gazing at Akira with an odd look in her eye. “She’s lucky to have you.”

“She..?”

_ Oh.  _

“Your wife. She got the whole package deal.”

The alcohol must have gotten to her already. She already had a few drinks while talking to Ryuji, and whatever was in her glass looked to be clear and _extremely_ concise. 

Before Akira could answer, Makoto piped up in Akira’s ear. “A-Ah, Akira, I think Ryuji’s having a little trouble. We’re already sending Ann.”

The slight smile on Akira’s face was wiped clean and he felt himself grow pale. 

“That’s quite nice, thank you,” he weakly said to Bijine’s girlfriend, who didn’t seem to notice his sudden change in attitude. “I hope you can resolve things with your family, I should just be getting to my, ah, wife.”

She nodded and took another swig from her glass. Akira hoped she would be alright, but his attention was focused on getting to Ryuji as quickly as possible. He recalled seeing Bijine taking Ryuji to the hall opposite from the table they were at, but he didn’t pay mind to any of the people he was pushing out of his way to get there. 

—-

“You’re quite beautiful, aren’t you? What did you say your name was again?” Bijine was hovering over Ryuji, who was backed up into a wall from his previous advances. 

“It’s Aiko. I should really get back to my husband, though-“ Ryuji’s voice wavered but he tried to stay calm.

Bijine was getting too close, leaning his head downwards to meet Ryuji’s eyes. His tongue darted between his lips when he glanced down at Ryuji’s. “Pretty, pretty name. Sounds nice coming from your lips.”

Ryuji did everything in his power to not drive his knee into Bijine’s crotch. Makoto already told him that Ann was on the way to interfere and Akira was going to be heading in his direction as soon as he could break conversation with Bijine’s girlfriend, but Ryuji was running out of ways to stall without causing a scene. 

Ryuji wondered what Bijine would do if he knew he was a man in his mid thirties flirting with a high school boy who was essentially just cross dressing for a night. He was almost sad he couldn’t him know. 

“That’s flattering, but I must—“ Ryuji tried to sidestep out of the hole Bijine had dug for him but there were hands on the wall on either side of his head. 

“What’s the rush, hon?” Bijine muttered. His face was gradually getting closer to Ryuji’s and Ryuji couldn’t find any way to escape. It was essential that they don’t bring any attention to themselves or they could be caught. 

Akira didn’t seem to have gotten the memo, though. 

After having shoved countless people out of his way and muttered empty apologies behind his back for it, he finally made it to the hallway entrance. One glance to his right and he already caught a glimpse of the scene. 

Ann had arrived at the same time as him, having jostled through the same crowd from the front entrance and dealing with men trying to pull her in for a dance. She dressed in a fancy dress and did her makeup just in case she would have had to interfere, which was unfortunately the case. 

She ran into the hallway right after Akira had in time to witness anger from her friend that she’d never seen before. 

‘Not making a scene’ be damned. Akira raced over to wear Bijine’s face was only inches from Ryuji’s and promptly shoved Bijine off, causing the man to stumble back and fall. 

“What the hell?” Bijine was surprised, but upon seeing who had pushed him to the ground he grew red. “What’s your damn problem, brat?” 

Akira ignored him and rushed over to Ryuji, who only grabbed his hand and began to speed away from the scene. Ann followed right after them, shuffling as quickly as she could in her heels with Ryuji. 

“I’ll remember your name and  _ ruin _ you, asshole!” Bijine shouted from behind them, but there wasn’t a worry about identities if they were made up. 

“What the hell happened to keeping it down low, man?!” Ryuji shouted at Akira while they were making their exit, high pitched voice halfway gone. He sounded angry, but his hand was still wrapped tightly around Akira’s. 

Akira refrained from answering until they finally made their way to the entrance outside. 

“Akira, I would have had it covered without a problem,” Ann said in between catching her breath. Akira finally calmed down as well, falling from his adrenaline rush and realizing he might have been a _little_ bit of an idiot. 

“I’m sorry, I just reacted—“

“ _ Why? _ ” Makoto interjected through their earpieces. “Ann was going to intervene quietly and find an excuse to leave, but now Bijine’s got some of his guys to hunt you down so I suggest you  _ run.” _

Ryuji and Ann took off their heels as quickly as they could and the three booked it down the stairs of the entrance and down the street that would take them to one of the main streets of the town where Yusuke was waiting in their ‘getaway’ car. 

Finally, they got to the car. Fortunately, since it was a nicer part of the area, all of the sidewalks and roads were swept clean so Ann and Ryuji didn’t have to worry about rocks in their feet, but with Ryuji’s bad leg and Ann being cramped up in the car for the better part of the night, they sighed when they slid into the car and were able to relax. 

Akira was the last to hop in before Yusuke finally took his cue to book it. Ann was in the passenger seat and Akira and Ryuji were settled in the back, all three left to catch their breaths in the dead silence of the car. 

Akira felt incredibly, incredibly guilty for being the one to almost mess up the mission. Makoto was in their earpieces telling them about something Akira truthfully wasn’t listening to, but rather he was focusing on the fact that somehow, since running away from Bijine and jogging all the way to the car, Akira and Ryuji hadn’t let go of their hands. 

Ryuji was finally able to let himself relax. Posture, polite face, everything feminine be damned. He dropped the heels he was holding in his left hand on the floor of the car when he realized he’d somehow managed to hold hands with Akira the entire way to the car. 

Neither of them wanted to let go, but Akira only imagined how sweaty his hand was from running (and also from how nervous Ryuji’s hand made him…). 

—

“Akira, we were almost busted.” Makoto was the first to speak when the four of the Phantom Thieves stumbled up the stairs to the attic of LeBlanc, where they had set up the best system they could manage for communications. 

“I know, I know, I…” Akira trailed off. 

“You what?”

“I  _ panicked _ , I’m sorry,” Akira said instead of what his brain was telling him to. He wanted to say that he couldn't  _ stand _ the sight of someone being so close to Ryuji, voluntary or not, but it wasn’t exactly appropriate for their situation. 

Makoto sighed. “What’s important is that you guys are safe and we have the code too. Other than the ending, you guys did wonderful.”

Ryuji gave Akira a thumbs up and a weak smile from across the table that they were sitting at, but continued to be silent as he was the moment they got outside of the party. As soon as they got back to LeBlanc, he pulled off his wig and threw his heels across the room, but he continued to grumble around in his dress. 

Makoto continued to lead the discussion of how they were going to approach Bijine’s shadow in Mementos and possible backup passwords for if 1038 failed (even if no one was convinced it would). 

Akira had already mentally logged out of all Phantom Thief related conversations, though. He was exhausted and embarrassed and just wanted to go to sleep for a couple of years. 

After a while, they all decided that it was getting too late and that they should catch the next trains home, even if it was only midnight. 

Except for Ryuji and Akira. Of course, it had slipped their minds that a week before the mission, Akira was going to let Ryuji spend the night because he knew that they would be tired. What he didn’t expect, though, was what would have happened at the end of the mission. 

“You’ll be alright with helping Ryuji out of his dress, right Akira?” Ann asked while collecting her things. Her tone was suggestive but she tried to hide the smirk on her face. 

“Yeah, o-of course,” Akira felt himself stutter out, the image of slowly opening the zipper that ran down Ryuji’s dress suddenly clouding his imagination. 

With that, Ann bounced down the stairs and left Ryuji and Akira in the cafe. Morgana had decided to spend the night at her place, so they were completely alone. 

“You’re being really quiet, it’s not like you,” Akira muttered, taking a seat next to Ryuji, who was relaxed on the side of Akira’s bed. 

Ryuji nodded. He seemed to be in a different space. 

“Did I do something wrong?” Akira tried. He didn’t mean for anything to get awkward between them. 

“No, no, not at all,” Ryuji finally snapped out of it. “I’m just… thinking.”

“About?” Akira pressed. 

_ A moment.  _

“Honestly, how you reacted when  _ he  _ was all over me. You knew Ann probably had it covered, right?” 

Akira nodded. Ann would have interfered smoothly and gotten Ryuji out of the situation much better, but Akira acted on his emotions. 

“And dancing, you got annoyed when any other guy got close to me, but it felt so  _ nice _ , and… fuck.” Ryuji was gazing hard at the ground, refusing to meet Akira’s eyes. 

Akira hadn’t even noticed that he got bothered when anyone got close to Ryuji while they were dancing, but with a pang he realized it was true. 

“And Makoto… When she thought she was just talking to you, she forgot that she didn’t turn off my piece.”

Akira’s heart stopped. “But.. didn’t she ask if you could hear her?” 

“I didn’t notice it the first time, but I caught on when she started talking the second.”

Oh god. Akira couldn't think of anything to say in the moment except that he was done for. He embarrassed himself  _ and  _ Ryuji knew just how enticing Akira found him for Makoto to have to tell him to chill. 

Ryuji finally looked at him. “Do you really think we’re that obvious?”

“H-Huh?” 

_ Obvious? _

“I mean, dude, we’ve had this weird  _ thing  _ between us for the longest time and I didn’t think anyone noticed until Makoto said what she did, and—“

Akira interrupted him. “Wait, wait, wait, you  _ like _ me?” 

Ryuji stared at him, wide eyed. “...Yeah. For the longest time, Akira, was it not obvious?”

“Oh my god,” Akira groaned, burying his head in his hands. “I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah, you are,” Ryuji agreed. After a little bit, he said, “So… Do you? I mean, like me.” 

Akira’s head snapped up. How could Ryuji even have a sliver of doubt in his mind? “Yeah. God, yeah, don’t even know for how long now. I think since you released your persona in Kamoshida’s castle?”

“That long?” Ryuji’s eye widened. “It took me a couple of months to figure out why you got me so nervous when it finally hit me…” 

Awkward silence fell amongst them. Akira nervously meddled with his fingers, but neither of them knew how to proceed with the conversation. 

Ryuji broke the silence with a quiet laugh. “You know, I never thought this would be how I would confess. Wearing an effing dress.”

“You look _really_ good in a dress, though,” Akira breathed, half of him not meaning to let the thought slip through his mouth. 

“You think so?” Ryuji said, gaining more confidence and leaning closer to Akira. His heart thundered in his chest but, God, all he cared was that his feelings were reciprocated. 

Akira seemed to feel the same way. “Yeah,” he muttered, and tilted his head towards Ryuji’s, eyes straying to his red painted lips. 

Ryuji took the initiative and closed the gap between them. Akira’s lips felt like a breath of fresh air, a type of comfort he hadn’t ever known. He could have gotten himself lost in everything and anything about Akira: his soft lips, his piercing eyes, his unruly hair. Christ, he fell  _ hard _ . 

Akira couldn't even begin to process the chaos that flew around in his head. Before he could focus on how well Ryuji’s lips fit in his, he was thinking about where to move the hand that he was already trailing up Ryuji’s waist. 

Before he could dwell on it any longer, they pulled apart for air. 

Akira still couldn’t process how gorgeous Ryuji was, whether he was wearing makeup or not. Even after their long night and having to run away from the party, he looked effortlessly beautiful. His hair fell haphazardly over his forehead and Akira had to fight the overwhelming urge to run his hands through it. 

Ryuji ruined the moment with a snort. 

“What?” Akira asked, sensing that Ryuji was laughing at  _ him _ . 

“You…” Ryuji said, trying to hold back a laugh, “You have lipstick all over…” 

Ryuji couldn’t control himself any longer. A loud laugh erupted from him and Akira felt himself heat up. He shot up and practically ran into the bathroom to see what he looked like in the mirror. 

Ryuji was right. His lipstick had transferred almost perfectly onto Akira’s, albeit for a little smudging around the edges where they moved their lips around. 

“You have makeup remover, right?” Akira asked, wondering if the lipstick would stain. It would be a definite give away to the rest of the Phantom Thieves, and would raise a lot of questions otherwise. 

“Probably,” Ryuji said with a devilish smile, “I’ll need to think if I wanna give it to you.”

“Nooooo,” Akira whined. He stumbled back to Ryuji, who was still sitting on his bed. “What did I do to deserve this?”

Ryuji countered, “You waited so long to tell me how you feel, dumbass!”

“How was  _ I  _ supposed to know?”

“Well…” Ryuji technically couldn’t argue with that. “There might be something you can do to earn it?”

“What do you have in mind?” Akira asked, but he already knew the answer. 

Needless to say, the mission was successful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! if you enjoyed, please consider leaving a kudos and a comment of what you might have liked or any criticism
> 
> if you’re staying up or procrastinating by reading fics, this is your sign to go to sleep or go do whatever you need to!!
> 
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! update is already written and will be uploaded soon. if you enjoyed, please leave a kudos and consider writing a comment!
> 
> i hope makoto doesn’t come off as irritating in this, i genuinely love her and it’s not my intention at all, i just like to think when it comes to missions she Does Not Fuck Around


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